....because if I have done my best, I will still lose a trial if the facts or the law do not favor my client's position, or if we were outgunned by the other side in terms of resources available to invest. If I made mistakes, they may, or may not have contributed to the loss, and usually only me, the judge, or the other attorney who was involved will know if my mistakes contributed to the outcome. As an attorney, you will know and understand, as I do, that losing a case does not automatically mean what you did was wrong, or that you even made mistakes. Every loss I've had gave me experience that I have used on future cases, but it still doesn't mean I am able to win every case. That does not mean I'm a lousy attorney and I should lose my job.

My beef with the knee-jerk fan reaction to losses is that like a client, we don't know enough to know whether the coaches made critical mistakes, or if it was the execution of the athletes (like a client performing on the witness stand) in high pressure situations, or if it we simply faced a better team with more resources, or if things like injuries to key players made it impossible to win.

Simply calling for the coaches' head ignores that there are other things beyond the coach that are involved. Firing a coach should be the determination of Tom Holmoe. He has the experience and the access to information to make the right decision. Because I realize the limitations of my knowledge as a fan on the outside looking in, I choose to continue to support the program, the coaches, and the team UNTIL the school makes the decision to replace the coach. That is what mature fans do, and I think it is this type of fan that helps make a program successful over time. Because these are the fans who help a program endure through the bad times and mediocre times that every program endures. The bandwagon fans who scream for the coaches' heads when problems like injuries and inexperience occur do not make a program successful at all.